New robotic surgery systems provide surgeons with greater precision, control

Dr. Daniel Kredentser, a gynecologic oncologist with Women’s Cancer Care Associates, left, and Dr. Ann Errichetti, CEO of St. Peter’s Health Partners. right, speak about the acquisition and upcoming use of the hospital’s new, da Vinci XI Surgical Systems, during a press conference held at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, N.Y., on Tuesday, July 15, 2014.
J.S. CARRAS - THE RECORD

ALBANY >> The new robotic surgical systems which one local hospital recently installed will be put to work beginning today.

St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany recently purchased two new da Vinci XI systems, which will assist surgeons with both precision and control, ultimately making procedures easier on patients. These new tools are not only the first of their kind in the Capital Region, but St. Peter’s is also the first facility in the world to have a pair of the new da Vinci XI Surgical Systems in operation.

However, hospital officials indicate the expense is worth it as the sophisticated systems will get plenty of use. On their first day on the job, the machines have six appointments lined up, a typical day for the robots.

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St. Peter’s Hospital was the first in the state to bring the high tech machinery into its facilities in 2004. Since then, it has performed nearly 5,500 procedures with the equipment, the most in the region. That figure also equates to one percent of the total number of robotic-assisted operations in the world performed to date.

“Surgeons at St. Peter’s Hospital have become highly proficient at robotic surgery and are national leaders in robotic usage in procedures on the prostate, kidney and bladder, as well as gynecological surgeries,” hospital CEO Ann Errichetti said in a press release.

Three-dimensional, high-definition visualization and enhanced dexterity not only help doctors work better, but also put patients at ease.

“The robot doesn’t do the surgery,” Errichetti explained Tuesday. “The surgeon does the surgery and the robots enhance their abilities.”

“It does allow us to do much more intricate, much more precise surgery,” said Dr. Daniel Kredentser, a gynecologic oncologist who will soon be using the equipment on patients. “While ultimately, it is the skill, knowledge and experience of the surgical team that is most important, the ability for that team to have the most advanced technological tools available, helps to provide the best outcomes,” he explained in a press release.

Labeled the da Vinci XI Surgical System, the new machinery is both more user-friendly, featuring voice feedback, and more flexible.

Cleared by the FDA in April, the XI has broader capabilities than prior generations of the da Vinci Systems. The new overhead architecture enables efficient access throughout the abdomen and chest, and allows for multi-quadrant surgery to be performed without having to reposition the system. It also has smaller, thinner arms with newly designed joints that offer a greater range of motion than before, and longer instrument shafts designed to give surgeons greater surgical reach.

“The benefits of the XI include improved vision, improved mechanics, and the ability to place the camera into any of the robotic port sites, providing a different look at the operative field,” said surgical oncologist Dr. Michael Perrotti in the press release.

For patients, these enhancements mean minimally invasive surgery, resulting in fewer incisions, less pain after surgery, quicker recovery and a decreased risk for complications. “It will save our patients a lot of discomfort,” Kredentser explained.

“Robotic surgery has been particularly valuable in the treatment of gynecological cancers – particularly endometrial cancers – where it has contributed to significant reductions in morbidity, mortality and of length of stay. It has reduced the hospitalization for hysterectomy from seven days to an overnight stay,” Kredentser said in the press release.

As doctors begin to use the new system, Kredentser expects even more good will come from it. “We’re always looking for new ways to use technology,” he said Tuesday.